


Wanderlust

by Wild_Sylleblossom



Series: Traversing Between Worlds [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: KH III spoilers possibly?, Key Kid, Multi, No one's dying on my watch., Not sure if I should put Caligo in the tags., Or not., Probably might tag more., Um AU I guess?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-27
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2020-09-28 00:54:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20417186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wild_Sylleblossom/pseuds/Wild_Sylleblossom
Summary: Every world has its unique properties. It's what makes them special in their own way.This one in particular seemed to have its own kind of darkness, one that Erica had never sensed before. But she's quick to learn just how deadly it can be.And then there were the two important lights of the world. . . .





	1. Dangerous Impressions--Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Erica enjoys the beauty of the world before nearly dying quite a few times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This and everything else here takes place after KH III unless I specify otherwise. This was one of my first times writing the boys so I hope I did okay.

It was just her today. And Chirithy, of course. But she didn’t mind. Her friends in Twilight Town had a busy day today, so she wouldn’t hold it against them.

Erica felt the breeze tug at her curls as she leaned against the wooden rails, watching the trains go by below her. “Maybe tomorrow we should go visit Ven and see how he’s doing.”

“Normally I would agree, but I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something,” Chirithy replied.

“What’s that?”

“I did a little investigating on any darkness that needs checking up on, and I found a world that might need just that.”

“A new world?”

“Yup!”

“Well, shouldn’t we tell the others?”

“Actually, I think you’re the only one for the job for now.”

Erica looked to her friend. “Just me?”

“Only unless we need a few extra Keyblades.”

“Oh. . . . Are you sure?”

“Positive. You can do it, kiddo! I believe in you!”

The smile that Chirithy loved to see was on Erica’s face, and the young wielder stepped back. As they’ve done many times before, Chirithy formed a corridor of light to the new world.

“Oh, could you tell Roxas and the others I’ll be back soon?” Erica asked. “I don’t want them to worry.”

“I’ll be sure to let them know.”

With a nod, Erica walked into the corridor. Its light enveloped her for a few seconds before it disappeared, and she was greeted with wide open green grass and vegetation.

And a beautiful sunset.

She couldn’t help gasping at the sheer majesty of it. The soft oranges and pinks blended perfectly with the changing sky. There was a soft breeze that carried a comfortable warmth to it, and in those moments it felt like Twilight Town. In fact, the sunset could’ve rivaled the ones there.

_New world, remember? You have a job to do_, Erica thought.

Peeling her eyes away from the scenery, she surveyed her surroundings. There were mountains in the distance at her left and in front of her. A river flowed nearby and stretched on for a good while. An elevated road—highway?—of some sort stood to her right, a few of those contraptions—Hiro called them cars—rolling by and looking way different than the ones in San Fransokyo. But what really caught her eye was a ginormous volcano with equally ginormous branch-like rocks sticking out of it. Even from where she was, she could see the lava glowing red on those tentacles of rocks.

“Something tells me this is a pretty big world,” Erica said. “And there should be some people around here I could talk to.”

As she began her trek, the sun had just about sunk beneath the horizon. Faster than she expected it to.

Finding a thick, sturdy stick, Erica carefully lit the tip with Fire to light her way. Distant growls reached her ears, and menacing hissing was quick to accompany them. It was enough to send chills down her spine.

“It’s probably just some snakes or something. N-nothing to worry about, right?”

Suddenly there was a crisp sounding explosion, and several icy blue spheres materialized all around her.

“Heartless!”

In a flash she summoned Starlight and casted Fira at one of the creatures. She rolled out of the way of an attack and ducked under an icy blast, and she swatted one of the Heartless away. With a grunt she used Fire Raid, and three of the Heartless shriveled up and dropped to the ground lifelessly before vanishing.

But no hearts were released.

_Okay. Maybe these are the ones without the emblems?_ “Ahh!”

One breathed ice on her and knocked her back, and she was left shivering and stunned. Right before two other ones could charge at her, Erica casted Reflect. Blasts of icy winds coated the barrier and the ground beneath the creatures as they self-destruct, and the spell shattered.

She then darted behind another one and whacked it into its partner, both of them dropping and disappearing.

And still no hearts were released.

But then again, the darkness they were giving off was vastly different from the Heartless.

_If these aren’t Heartless, what are they?_

She blocked another attempted bite and shoved it back, throwing her Keyblade at it to finish the job. Like the others, it dropped and vanished, and Erica was left colder than she wanted to be.

She rubbed her arms for a bit before collecting and reigniting her torch, her eyes constantly scanning her surroundings. Her pace was much quicker now, and she made sure to keep her ears open for any other enemies. Her teeth chattered as she rubbed one of her arms. She had faced some icy enemies in Arendelle, but none of them had a biting chill like this. But at least she had some kind of warmth.

Metal began to creak and groan behind her, and the ground shook as something pounded against it. Slowly, Erica turned around, and she found her gaze traveling higher and higher up a giant red creature. Her head practically tilted all the way back with the sheer size of the monster. She couldn’t even find its eyes, and that was what terrified her.

The giant raised its flaming sword above its head, and Erica barely darted out of the way. The ground shook with the impact, making her stumble and drop her torch. She could feel the scorching heat from the weapon, and it was more than enough to chase the chill in her away.

_Okay. This one isn’t . . . too bad. I’ve faced bigger enemies before._

Erica summoned her Keyblade and rolled under another sword swing, the flaming tongues just grazing her back. Now behind it, she began to furiously hack away at one of its ankles. The creature attempted to back-hand her only to miss, and she fired Blizzaga at its sword hand. It roared in annoyance as she swung as hard as she could at its other ankle, and she casted Thundaga. The bolts slammed into the creature, making it groan and take a step back.

Erica hopped back from a ground pound before coming back in, but the giant retaliated by swinging its sword. The flat part of the blade sent her flying for a horrifying amount of time, and she slammed into the ground rolling.

A searing pain tore through her torso, and she found it hard to breathe. With a grimace she rolled onto her back, the movement causing even more pain. Her chest was red and beginning to blister, and she could only assume the rest of her torso was as well. The ground shook with the footsteps of the giant, and she slowly hovered her fist over her chest.

“H-heal.”

Curaga washed over her like a cool breeze, and she could feel her skin cooling and healing. Erica struggled to push herself to her feet, her shirt brushing up against her still sensitive skin. Magic could only do so much. She would have to deal with the burns later. She had a red giant to deal with.

The giant came thundering toward her, and Erica readied her Keyblade. Suddenly it stopped, and it thrust its hand toward her. A ball of energy grew from its palm, and a circular vortex began to swirl wildly. Her body began to gradually slide toward it, and she staked her Keyblade into the ground. She grit her teeth as the vortex tugged at every part of her, and she could feel her grip loosening the longer the vortex remained.

Several fiery balls suddenly appeared near the giant, and she could feel the color drain from her face as their wicked grins faced her. They wasted no time in coming for her, and the giant’s vortex was still swirling. Her heart raced as the heat from the balls grew hotter and hotter the closer they came, and she began to brace herself for more fire power. But just when she thought they were about to have at her, the giant lowered its hand.

And Erica ran faster than she ever thought she could.

The fire balls were faster than the red giant, and she could feel their heat on her back. She ducked under a blast of fire, but she didn’t dare look back.

“Find a place to hide find a place to hide find a place to hide!”

She strained her eyes to scan for something, anything to hide behind. Then she found something tall and wide and, she hoped, not wanting to kill her.

“Freeze!”

Three shots of ice were fired from her Keyblade, and the creatures reared back at the piercing chill. Taking her chance, Erica threw herself behind what she now identified as a boulder and pressed herself against it. Never did she think she would be so happy to find a rock. But her relief was short-lived when the ground shook.

She made herself as small as possible as the footsteps stopped. Her heart was pounding against her chest, and she forced herself to bite back a whimper. She could feel the heat from the sword and the fire balls as they searched for her, and she grimaced as her shirt brushed up against her raw skin. The usual spark that was her magic had dimmed considerably, and she didn’t have any Ethers on her to keep it bright. Or any other Items.

_This really isn’t good._

The creatures growled and snarled as they continued to search, and Erica squeezed her eyes shut.

_Please go away please go away please go away._

After what felt like an eternity, the creatures decided to search elsewhere. She didn’t dare sigh in relief even as they stepped out of earshot. Other things like those could still be out there, or maybe even nearby. And if she moved now, they would spot her for sure.

So throughout the night, Erica stayed behind her rock. The growls and snarls of other creatures in the distance was more than enough to keep her awake, and being in near darkness didn’t help, either. There were several instances where she debated on healing herself. Every tiny movement irritated the skin on her torso, and she wanted the raw feeling to go away so badly. Then she considered the fact that those creatures would spot the light and attack her. And boy did she not want that.

Finally, after hours of anxiety and fear, the sounds of the creatures had begun to die down. Erica sleepily looked up at the sky as dawn began to break, and a yawn escaped her.

“It’s morning?”

_Poof!_

“You all right, kiddo?”

“Just tired. . . .” Erica winced as she stretched. “And sore.”

“You stayed up all night staying away from those things. But I’m glad you made it out okay.”

“Me too. . . .” Another yawn.

“Try to get some sleep, kiddo. I’ll look after you.”

“Okay. Good night, Chirithy.”

The moment Erica snuggled up against the rock, she was out like a light. Worry hovered over the cat-like creature as they watched the environment around them.

“Maybe you weren’t ready for this yet. . . .” They could sense Erica’s dreams right there. The events of her horrific night in this new world was replaying and distorting itself, darkly twisting into what would’ve been had she not been able to escape.

Briefly Chirithy closed their eyes to shoo away those nightmares and replace them with happy dreams (but the memory wasn’t tampered with). Erica relaxed in her sleep as a smile worked its way through. In her dream, she was laughing with Hayner, Pence, and Olette at their usual spot, and they had just finished their ice cream.

“Well, at least you held your own, even if it was for a little bit. You were scared, and I never liked seeing you scared. I still don’t. But you knew how to handle it.”

Guttural growling jerked Chirithy’s attention forward, and a pack of shaggy gray animals had their sights set on them.

“Erica! Wake up!”

The wielder flinched awake. “Wha? Ow. What’s wrong?”

“I don’t think the wildlife here is very friendly.”

Erica looked to where Chirithy was pointing to. The gray creatures were pacing as they studied her, and she slowly pushed herself to her feet.

_This is a very hostile world_, she thought.

Chirithy poofed away as Erica bolted away from the pack as fast as she could. Already they were beginning to catch up to her, and she really didn’t want to end up as breakfast. How was she going to get out of this one?

_I got it!_

Erica summoned her Keyblade and formed an icy rail on the ground. “I hope this works!”

She summoned up the magic needed and jumped onto the rail before shooting forward, a set of teeth just missing her. “Ha hah! I’m doing it! Wo-oah!” She held her arms out to steady herself, and she dared to look back. The animals were getting further and further away, and she couldn’t help cheering.

“Yes! Thank you, Master Aqua!”

The end of the rail was fast-approaching, and she braced herself for the landing.

_One, two, three!_

Erica jumped off the rail and landed on her feet before dismissing Starlight. Behind her, she could see the gray animals pacing again as they pondered their next move. But eventually they decided to abandon her and turn around.

“Phew!”

The drowsiness from staying up was really starting to get to her, and her magic was dangerously low now. Maybe there was a cave or something around here she could rest in. And she would definitely have to stay the night, too. The thought of repeating last night terrified her.

As she speed-walked, she considered casting another curative spell. Her torso still ached and stung a little. But she only had enough magic for a few more spells, maybe a couple if she used the weaker forms.

_I’ll be okay. I just need to rest and wait for my magic to come back._

Erica searched the area for a place to rest. The river flowed freely next to her, and a few birds were chirping. It was so serene and quiet. She would’ve loved to sit by the water and soak in the sun, but with her recent record she would be preyed upon the second she stopped moving.

Not too far from where she was, she could hear rushing water, which meant two things—the river gets bigger, or there was a waterfall. And if there was a waterfall. . . .

Hissing lurched her out of her thoughts, and she stopped in her tracks at the sight before her.

_There’s . . . a giant snake._

It stood upright as it slithered around, its attention on the horizon. Its dark scales glistened in the sunlight, and she was reminded of Jafar’s scales when he was in his serpentine form.

_At least this one’s a lot smaller than he was._

Crouching down, Erica began to stealthily make her way around the snake, making sure to stay as far away from it as possible.

The snake turned to its right, and Erica’s breath hitched. She froze in place as the snake settled a little, hissing as it swished its enormous tail back and forth. When it didn’t move again, Erica steadily released a breath before continuing on.

_Almost there. You can do this._

Not long after she moved, Erica spotted a waterfall concealing most of a cave.

But some feet in front of it were giant crabs minding their own business.

_Oh boy. . . ._

Loud hissing made her jump, and she turned around to see the snake’s eyes locked onto her.

“Uh, nice snake.” She took some slow steps back, very aware of the crustaceans behind her. “Just passing through.”

_Snap!_

Instantly Erica whirled around to see the crabs also locked onto her. Slowly, they began to form up and stare her down, daring her to come closer. And Erica had no choice but to back away.

Scales scraping the ground brought her attention back to the serpent, and she barely avoided a lunge from it. The crabs merely stood watching as the snake aggressively tried to bite Erica. Its tail came hurling at her, and she casted Reflera instinctively. Blasts of light from the impact forced the creature back, and Erica desperately attempted to escape. Upon hearing the snake hiss, she whirled around to cast Firaga right at its face. Erica then faced forward and prepared to dart right past the crabs. But the serpent had other plans.

Suddenly the creature burrowed under ground, and Erica was at a loss for words. But before she could react, it burst forth from under the ground. The earth shook under its thunderous landing, forcing Erica to stumble. It then began to surround her and attempt to wrap itself around her.

“Defense!”

Reflega encased itself around Erica, and the crystal-like dome cracked under the might of the serpent. Instantly the barrier retaliated with powerful bursts of light, and the snake hissed in agony. Seizing the opportunity, Erica scrambled away as quickly as she could. Chirithy believed in her to see this mission through. They believed she was strong enough. She had to have faith that she could get to that cave.

A huge shadow loomed over her that was accompanied by yet another hiss. Before she knew it something slammed into her, and her world became a blur. She felt her body crash into blue, sucking out whatever air was left in her lungs. In a panic she thrashed her limbs about and tried to get her bearings together. The current tugged at her as she kicked and clawed as hard as she could. Her lungs began to burn. The current tugged harder. And she fought even harder.

Finally Erica broke through. Her gasps for air turned into coughing, but the current still tugged at her. Gritting her teeth, she fought her way to dry land. There the snake merely watched her as she slapped a gloved hand onto the ground. Her chest and stomach stung from the watery impact, the rest of her body nearly drained of energy.

The snake rose to its full height, casting its gigantic shadow over Erica. Tiredly, she looked up at it. Her magic was out. She was cornered. And no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn’t command her body to drag itself out of the water.

So she closed her eyes and awaited the serpent’s sharp fangs.

_I’m sorry, Chirithy. I can’t do this. . . ._

Several shots suddenly rang out, and the snake threw its head back with a pained shriek before turning towards who else would dare attack it.

A flash of blue brought Erica’s attention to directly in front of her. And suddenly there was a young man in black with extreme concern on his face kneeling before her.

“Are you okay?” he asked, offering his hand.

“Y-yeah. Kind of,” Erica replied, taking his hand.

The man pulled her out of the water while three other men dressed like him expertly fought the creature. “Here.”

He handed her what she hoped was a Potion, or, even better, an Elixir. It was a slim green bottle that completely obscured the liquid inside. But, choosing not to ask questions, she took the bottle and opened it.

Only for it to vanish into green light.

Although she hadn’t consumed it, her injuries began to heal.

“Thank you,” Erica replied.

“Noct!” a gruff voice shouted.

“Noct” glimpsed over his shoulder and looked back at her. “Go find somewhere to hide. We’ll handle this.”

“But—" Erica started.

“There’s an Outpost not far from here where you’ll be safe.”

“But—"

“Noct!” an accented voice urged.

Noct stole another glimpse over his shoulder and scoffed to himself. “Just go.”

Before Erica could protest any more, he vanished in a flash of blue. Not even seconds later, he landed a fierce blow to the snake’s head with a sword. _I can’t just leave them!_

A vehement hiss from the serpent forced her to run, and she had to steel herself against a pained cry from one of the men. Her heart started to tug at her. _This isn’t right._

The Noct guy said there was an Outpost near here. Outposts meant people, which she hoped had a shop of some sorts. Shops usually had Items. Items that she could use to restore her magic.

A plan formulated in her brain, and Erica pushed herself to run as fast as she could—something she seemed to be doing a lot since coming here.

Meanwhile with the ensemble, a man with glasses flung one of his daggers at the snake’s head before taking his place beside Noct.

“Was she all right?” he asked.

“A little shaken up, but I think she’s okay,” Noct replied.

“What’s a kid like her doing out here by herself?” a man with a gruff voice asked, swinging his massive sword.

“I dunno, but I’m glad she’s out of harm’s way,” a blonde said.

“Let’s hope she stays that way,” the man with glasses said.

Back with Erica, she was searching for the Outpost. The road she had spotted must be by it. But it was so far away, and she couldn’t pull that trick she did with the ice trail. She needed magic for that. And it didn’t help that she only got five minutes of sleep.

_I can do this. I just have to be fast enough._

Erica kept her eyes open for a way up to the road, but there was only a dirt pathway.

“Come on come on. . . .”

It felt like ages before she spotted a wall, or rather a support beam. And beyond that were some stairs.

“Yes!”

New hope fueled her, and she made a beeline for the stairs. Her heart pounded against her chest, and her head was beginning to feel light.

The cry she had heard resounded in her memory, and the stairs became a blur underneath her feet. She stumbled up a few steps before sharply turning right. The road was fast approaching, and on the other side was the promised Outpost.

_Please have Ethers please have Ethers._

Honking brought her out of her mental pleas, and she yelped as a car swerved around her. Her heart had skipped a beat at the near-death experience, but still she pursued the store.

The handful of people that were inside were in shock as Erica came barreling in sopping wet and with a frantic expression.

“Woahh slow down there. Whaddya need?” the man behind the counter said.

“Do you . . . have . . . Hi-Potions . . . and Ethers?” Erica asked between breaths.

“Uh we don’t sell Ethers here. But we do have Hi-Potions.”

“Okay.” Erica began fishing out her munny, blinking to clear her head. “How much for ten Hi-Potions?”

“That’s gonna be 1,000 gil.”

After a few more seconds of fishing she brought out the needed munny, which had converted to this world’s currency once it was on the counter. The man’s eyes widened a bit at the gil, and he began to take out the Hi-Potions.

“Do you have Elixirs, too?”

“That’ll be 400 gil for one.”

“I’ll have one Elixir, please.”

Once again Erica took out the munny and placed it on the counter. All ten Hi-Potions and a yellow bottle (which she assumed was the Elixir) were brought out, and Erica carefully collected them and put them in her other pouch.

“Thank you!” Erica replied.

“You’re welcome,” the cashier replied, a hint of curiosity in his tone. “You be careful, all right?”

“I will!”

The people watched her shoot out the door in a hurry. But upon remembering the close call she had earlier, Erica yanked to a halt and looked both ways. Once she was sure it was safe, she darted right across the street.

Erica grabbed the Elixir from her pouch and opened it. It evaporated into light as it restored the rest of her energy, and she breathed a sigh of relief as the spark inside her was reignited.

After sprinting over the first several steps Erica swung herself over the rail and landed onto the next set of steps with a roll.

_Please be okay._

**~ ~ ~**

Green liquid showered the four young men, leaving them coughing and momentarily dazed. The snake once again lashed out with its tail, and everyone managed to avoid the attack.

Noct blinked several times to ward off the green spots in his vision. This thing had to be almost done. Too much daylight had already been spent, and the creature was ever the relentless opponent.

A hand touched his shoulder, and the man with glasses was by his side handing him an Antidote.

“Thanks,” Noct said, to which the man nodded before rushing to the gunman’s aid.

The Antidote was immediately crushed, and a green mist surrounded him as the Item worked its magic.

“How we all doing?” the bigger man called as the accented man appeared by his side with an Antidote seconds later.

“Gettin’ by,” Noct replied.

Putting some ground between the snake and himself, he summoned a large crossbow. Blue bolts were fired right at the head, and Noct ran around the snake as he did so. Furiously the snake swung its tail, warding off all of the men. The gunman was quick to recover, and he mentally made a head count.

_One, two. . . ._

_Oh no. _

“Noct? Noct!” the blonde called.

A pained grunt jerked his attention to his left. Noct was struggling to stand back up, and he was clutching his shoulder.

“Hold on, buddy!”

In a heartbeat the young man turned his back on the enemy to help his friend. The larger man spotted the blonde running off and glanced at the snake. A shield materialized in his other hand as he locked onto the blonde, and a hiss from the serpent solidified his suspicions.

He charged right for the duo, and the snake was practically racing him to them. The blonde had reached Noct with Item in hand and was helping him up, his mind only focusing on his friend. Green light surrounded Noct, and he was back to normal. Only then did the blonde open his mind and remember the giant snake they were all fighting.

The larger man planted himself in front of the duo and readied his shield as the snake darted toward him.

Only, he didn’t feel a bone-shattering impact against his shield.

“Where’d this come from?!” the blonde asked.

The snake had banged its head against a crystal-like dome that was surrounding the trio. Flares of light forced it back, and the snake snarled in irritation.

“Are you kidding me?!”

At Noct’s exasperated tone, the larger man glanced over his shoulder. Noct’s attention was to the left, and the larger man followed his gaze to Erica charging in towards the fight.

_You’ve gotta be_ kidding _me!_ he thought, frustration seeping in.

“Thunder!” she cried.

Powerful bolts of lightning struck the snake’s body, and Erica took her stance next to the larger man.

“You guys okay?”

“Did you just use magic?” the blonde asked in disbelief.

“Yeah, why?”

The men exchanged looks with each other, and Noct was the one who spoke first.

“Look you can’t—"

“Watch out!” the accented man shouted.

The group darted out of range of the snake’s jaws, and Erica coated her Keyblade in fire before flinging it right at the neck.

“This isn’t a place for a kid like you,” the shield man stated. “All magic aside.”

“I’m not leaving you guys to this thing!” Erica replied. “I can help!”

“Just minutes ago you were about to be snake chow.” He leapt to Erica’s right and blocked a tail bash with his shield. “I’m not asking you to go.”

“Prompto’s been intoxicated!” the accented man reported.

“Who’s Prompto?” Erica asked.

“The blonde one,” the larger man answered. “Now get out of here while you still ca—hey!”

Erica took off in search of Prompto while the snake was encircling Noct and the accented man. It wasn’t long until she spotted a head of blonde hair diving down and firing several shots right at the back of the snake’s head. She could hear him coughing as he got to his feet, a groan slipping out moments later.

“Prompto!”

Surprised, he looked in her direction as she caught up to him. He became even more surprised when a green light sprouted from her Keyblade to surround him. Immediately he felt relief.

“Wow,” Prompto said, still surprised. “Uh thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Everyone regroup!” the man with glasses called.

Without missing a beat, the rest of the group flocked to him in formation, and the party was healed by him.

“You sure you can handle this?” Prompto asked. “We don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I’m positive,” Erica replied. The larger man briefly glanced to her before shouldering his weapon, grumbling to himself.

“What’s the plan, Ignis?” Noct asked as both sides sized each other up.

Ignis stole a sideways glance at Erica, noting her unique weapon. He loathed to allow a child into a battle like this, let alone a young girl. But if she was willing to fight and if her magic abilities were saying anything, then what could he do?

“The serpent is susceptible to ice,” he stated. “Noct, you’ll attack from the front. Prompto, Gladio, and I will overwhelm the creature from behind. And if you don’t mind lending us your magic abilities. . . .” Ignis looked to Erica, who nodded.

“No holding back,” Noct added.

“Let’s clean ‘em up quick,” the larger man stated.

“Aw yeah!” Prompto cheered.

“Give it everything we’ve got!” Ignis said.

The trio circled around to the snake’s rear, and Erica casted Blizzaga three times a row. The snake hissed at the biting cold crawling across its face, and the trio seized the opportunity to strike.

“Might wanna stand back,” Noct said, readying a ball pulsing with blue energy.

With a grunt he chucked the ball at the creature. A cold whirlwind coursed through the area, freezing the ground and more than half of the snake’s body. The snake hissed before striking at Noct and Erica with its head, but the two easily dodged the attack. The tip of the tail was stuck to the ground, and the ice made it difficult for it to maneuver around to attack the trio behind it.

Baring its teeth, it lunged straight for Noct, but he was able to block the attack and return the favor. The snake shook its head to clear it, but the hiss it produced was considerably weaker.

“Ain’t got much life left in it!” the larger man, whom Erica assumed was Gladio, said.

“Let’s put it out of its misery!” Noct replied.

Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto continued to have at it. And with the ice restricting its movements, the snake was having increasing difficulty with attacking.

Noct readied another ball of energy, and the tip of Erica’s Keyblade glowed an icy blue. “Ready for this?”

“Ready!” Erica replied.

Together they threw their respective weapons right at the head, and the impact snapped the head back. With a final roar, the snake dropped lifelessly to the ground, and the icy blue haze cleared.

Prompto let out a breathy laugh. “We really did it!”

“Impressive,” Ignis replied.

“Not half bad,” Gladio commented.

“You guys did good, too,” Erica said.

“Huh. Think so?” Noct said with a smirk.

“Yup!” Erica dismissed her Keyblade, and the others did the same with their own weapons. There was a shared look amongst the men, and they all seemed to be thinking the same thing.

“If I may,” Ignis started.

“Yeah?”

“How are you able to use magic? Not very many can do so in these parts.”

“I kinda have it because of my Keyblade.”

“Keyblade?” Prompto asked.

Erica summoned Starlight again. “It’s what this is called.”

“Quite the weapon you have there,” Gladio said, studying it. “How’d you get it?”

“It chose me.”

“Chose you?” Noct repeated.

“Keyblades choose their wielders, and sometimes they’re passed down from a master.”

“So in a way, the weapon is sentient?” Ignis asked.

“Kinda, yeah.”

“Never heard of a Keyblade before,” Prompto commented. “Do they all look like that?”

“No. They’re all different. And some can look more complicated than others.”

Noct eyed the Keyblade. _It “chose” her. . . ._ “So how did this . . . Keyblade choose you?”

“I was told it was drawn to my light.”

“Your light?”

“In here.” Erica pointed to her chest.

“Your heart?” Prompto asked.

“Yeah.”

The men exchanged brief looks.

“You must be a pretty special kid to be able to wield that thing,” Gladio said.

“I guess so,” Erica replied with a soft smile. “Oh! I should probably introduce myself. I’m Erica.”

“Prompto’s the name, but uh you knew that.”

“Actually he told me your name.” Erica glanced to Gladio.

“The name’s Gladio.”

“Ignis. A pleasure to meet your acquaintance.”

“Nice to meet you, too,” Erica replied. She held her hand out toward them, and the group of men each shook her hand. Lastly, she came across Noct. “And you are?”

“Uh . . . N-Noct.”

Erica smiled at him in reply, and he gently shook her hand.

_Phew. . . ._

“Well we really should get going,” Gladio said. “We have some things we need to take care of.”

“Me, too, actually,” the young wielder replied.

“Do be careful,” Ignis said.

“And don’t be out after dark, okay?” Prompto reminded.

“I won’t,” Erica said. “You guys be careful, too.”

“We will,” Noct said. “And thanks for the help.”

“You’re welcome.”

With that said, Erica took off with a wave, and the group returned the gesture.

“Thanks again for helping me out!”

“No problem!” Noct replied right before she disappeared.

“Intriguing young girl, I’d say,” Ignis commented.

“I’ll say,” Gladio agreed. “She’s definitely not from around here.”

“Maybe she’s from the Crown City like us,” Prompto thought aloud.

“Who knows?” Noct said, turning to face the waterfall. There was a small group of Shieldshears ahead of them, and beyond them was the cave they needed to enter. He had just as many questions as they did, but right now they had more important things to worry about. “Maybe we might run into her again.”


	2. Dangerous Impressions--Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erica finally catches a break and begins to sort things out.  
And then that break is over.

Erica climbed the stairs yet again. Those guys in black seemed nice. And strong, too. It was a nice change from people in black trying to destroy the worlds and cover them in darkness. But now that she wasn’t struggling to stay alive, she could focus on what she came for.

She continued down the sidewalk before facing forward. Stopping at the edge of the street, she scanned both sides for incoming cars, but a black object off the corner of her eye pulled her attention elsewhere. Next to her was a black car parked by some sort of pump.

_Gas pump. Remember that._

“Woooaahhh. The cars in San Fransokyo don’t look anything like that. I wonder whose it is. . . .”

A car driving by snapped her out of her awe-struck state. _Right. Focus._

Erica briskly crossed the street and walked into the store. Only a few people were inside this time, and the man at the cashier looked up from a notepad.

“Welcome back,” he said. “Everything all right this time?”

“Yup,” Erica replied. “Just wanted to ask some questions.”

“All right. Whaddyou wanna know?”

“Has anything weird been happening around here?”

“Weird? Well . . . not that I know of. It’s just been the daemons around here.”

“Daemons?”

“Those creatures that come out at night? Everyone knows what those are.”

_So those things are called daemons. . . ._ “Oh. R-right. Of course.”

The man gave her a funny look. “Why do you ask?”

“Just want to be safe, that’s all.”

“Well, I can’t argue with that. Just make sure you’re careful.”

“I will. Thank you.”

Erica began to head out the door. No signs of Heartless yet. That was a good thing. But she wasn’t done yet.

Something splattered onto her head, and Erica looked up to a gray sky. “I guess I’m staying in here for a while.”

Erica stepped back inside.

“Rained in, huh?” the cashier said.

“Looks that way.”

“There’s a caravan out there for you to stay the night. It’s getting pretty dark out, after all.”

“Caravan?”

“It’s across the street. Costs 30 gil a night.”

Erica yawned. She did need a place to stay, and she definitely needed to stay away from these daemons. Plus, she probably needed to see how her burn was doing.

“I’ll stay there tonight,” she said.

She went to the counter and paid the necessary amount, and the man gave her a questioning look.

“So what were you doing earlier that made you come here in a hurry?”

“Um, I was running errands. Emergency errands.”

The man raised an eyebrow, and Erica feigned a yawn.

“Anyway, I should probably head to the caravan. Uh good night.”

She walked away as casually as possible, feeling eyes on her as she neared the door. Shielding her eyes with her arm, she darted out into the rain and straight for the caravan. Once she reached it, she quickly opened the door and darted inside.

“Phew. . . .”

_Poof!_

“You all right, kiddo?”

“Just tired. It’s been a really long day.”

“I’ll say.” Chirithy hopped onto a bed while watching Erica lock the door and sit in a chair. “I made sure to tell Roxas and the others you’d be out for a while.”

“And they’re okay?”

“They’re worried, but they know you’ll be just fine.”

“As long as they know. . . .” Erica began to remove her boots.

“Did you sense anything . . . unique about Noct?”

“Mmmmh . . . no. Why?”

Chirithy deflated. “No reason. . . .”

Erica paused with her fingers hovering over her Bracelet of Light. “Well, I wasn’t around him for very long to tell. Maybe I might be able to figure it out the next time we meet.”

“Fair enough.”

Erica sighed as she flopped onto the bed. It was pouring now, and she was glad she was indoors. The burn was better now that it was properly taken care of, so she was hoping it’d be healed more in the morning.

_I wonder if that car is still there._

Erica carefully peeked behind the shade, and sure enough, the black car still sat there. But the roof was up now.

_When did that happen?_ “Remember those things I ran in to last night?” she asked.

“They’re called daemons, right?” Chirithy replied.

“Yeah. They’re really strange. And very different from the Heartless.”

“Well they do have a certain darkness to them that’s nothing like you’ve faced before.”

“Yup. There haven’t been any Heartless yet, though. Maybe that’s a good thing?”

“It is, but you never know where they’ll be lurking.”

Erica stifled a yawn.

“You should probably get some sleep. You have another busy day tomorrow.”

The young wielder snuggled against her pillow. “Maybe the burn’ll be better tomorrow.”

“Maybe.”

“Good night, Chirithy.”

“Good night, Erica.”

The cat-like creature settled down at the foot of Erica’s bed, and the young wielder readjusted herself.

“You think those guys are okay out there?”

“I think they’ll be okay. They seemed to know what they were doing.”

Erica yawned again. “Okay. Night. . . .”

“Good night.”

The next day, Erica woke up to a quiet morning. Her body felt energized, and she didn’t feel as sore as she did yesterday.

_Today’s gonna be a good day. I can feel it._

Sighing contently, Erica sat herself up to stretch, and the movement caused Chirithy to stir.

“Morning, Chirithy.”

The dream eater stretched in a very cat-like manner. “Morning, kiddo. How you feeling?”

“A lot better. I think it’s gone away a bit.”

“That’s good to hear. Ready for today?”

“Yup!”

Back out in the morning air, the four men in black had just finished climbing the stairs. As promised, one of the Royal Arms was deep within the cave behind the waterfall. Now they just needed to head back to Lestallum—that is if Noct didn’t get slammed with another headache.

“Might be a good idea to stock up on Potions and stuff,” Prompto suggested.

“Nice. You’re being helpful for a change,” Noct quipped.

“Whaddyou mean ‘for a change’?”

Noct merely smirked in reply, and the posse dispersed once they were inside the store.

“What kind of kid doesn’t know what a daemon is?” Noct overheard a man say. “_Everyone_ knows what those things are.”

“I blame the parents,” the man’s friend replied. “Can’t shield the kids from everything, y’know.”

“But what really got me was the way she ran in here yesterday. Sopping wet, frantic look—man do I hope that kid’s all right.”

Back with Erica, she was opening the door to the caravan ready to take on the day.

“Don’t forget breakfast. Most important meal of the day!” Chirithy said, handing her an apple.

“Oh, right,” Erica said. She took a bite of her apple as she glanced at both sides of the road. “So uh, which way should we go?”

“Hmmm. Maybe right?”

Prompto, who was browsing things by the window, managed to spot Erica talking to no one in particular. “Hey it’s Erica!”

Ignis looked up from the shelves to glance to where Prompto was looking at. “So it is. I wonder who she’s talking to.”

**~ ~ ~**

“Don’t forget to watch your magic,” Chirithy reminded.

“I know,” Erica replied. She sighed as she faced the road. “Well, let’s get going.”

After throwing away the core in a trash can inside the caravan, Chirithy disappeared and Erica began to walk down the sidewalk.

“Hey! Erica!” someone called.

When she turned around, she could see the four men crossing the street and coming toward her, Prompto waving to her.

“Hey guys!” Erica replied.

“Fancy meeting you again,” Ignis said.

“Where you off to?” Noct asked.

“Just down that way.” Erica gestured with her head to the lengthy road next to them.

“By yourself?” Prompto asked.

“Yeah. I’ll be okay, though.”

“Are you sure?” Noct asked, concerned. Sure she had a “Keyblade” that she could handle pretty well, but she was just a kid.

“Positive.”

The four men exchanged looks.

“All right, but be aware of your surroundings,” Gladio finally said. “And don’t be out here at night.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be careful.”

The group watched Erica head down the sidewalk, and there was a growing feeling in the pit of Prompto’s stomach.

“I’m not having a good feeling about this,” he admitted.

“Same here,” Gladio said.

“I feel the same way,” Ignis agreed. “But I think we can trust that she’ll be all right on her own.”

Noct still stared after her as his friends slowly and hesitantly stepped inside their black car.

“Noct. C’mon,” Gladio urged.

A few more seconds went by before he sat next to Gladio, and Ignis turned the car on. Turning right, it wasn’t long until they passed by Erica, who stopped in her tracks.

“Wait. That’s their car?” she said. “Huh. Cool!”

Prompto turned to face Noct, who had his attention on Erica. “How’s your head?”

“Huh?” Noct faced his friend. “It’s fine for now.”

Suddenly the car slammed to a halt.

“What the—"

Dark pools were beginning to form in front of them, and the group shot out of the car.

“The hell?” Gladio retorted.

“Daemons?!” Prompto fretted.

Out of the pools emerged heads with gold eyes and long antennae, the bodies attached to them eerily humanoid.

**~ ~ ~**

From where she was, Erica had been able to spot the car stopping in the middle of the road. The young men had their eyes on something, but she couldn’t tell what it was.

_Bang!_

In a heartbeat Erica picked up speed. She squinted at the group engaging dark objects. One of them leapt up to claw at Ignis, and a gasp slipped out.

“Not Neoshadows,” Erica stressed. Starlight appeared in her hand, and she coated her Keyblade in lightning. “Look out!”

Noct barely had any time to shoot a look over his shoulder before he lunged to the side. Erica’s Keyblade flew by him, and he felt his hair stand on end for a split second. Her Keyblade practically incinerated the Neoshadow in front of him, and moments later Erica stood in front of him with her weapon.

“You guys have to get out of here. I can handle this,” Erica stated.

“What? No we’re not letting you—" Noct was forced to jump back from a Neoshadow’s attack, and Erica swatted another one away.

“I’ve faced these things before. I can handle this.”

Beside her, Prompto fired at the Heartless she swatted. “Y-you have?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Gladio stated. “We’re not letting you fight these things alone.”

“But they’re dangerous!” Erica stressed, warding off another Neoshadow.

“Which is precisely why we’re not leaving,” Ignis replied.

“You chose to help us with that snake,” Prompto declared. “So we’re helping you with these things.”

Erica frowned in concern, and she tightened her grip on her Keyblade. “Just . . . be careful, okay?”

“As should you,” Ignis replied.

Erica nodded, and she put her full focus on the Neoshadows. She darted underneath a jump before swinging her Keyblade down onto the Neoshadow, and she whirled around to block a lunge from another. A Neoshadow seized the opportunity to scratch her from behind, and she cut her cry short. Before she could retaliate, a dagger plunged itself into the Neoshadow’s chest, and the creature faded into darkness.

“Thanks, Ignis!” Erica said, to which the man nodded in reply.

Noct, on the other hand, was practically dancing with a pair of Heartless as he slashed at them. They nearly proved to be too quick for him, but nonetheless he cut them down to size.

“Wind!” A swirl of the element spun a pair of Neoshadows around, and Gladio swatted them into oblivion.

“You use the wind, too?” Prompto asked in disbelief.

“Yup!”

“Man! What _can’t_ you cast?”

“Gravity and Stop. Still working on those.”

“Wait what?”

“Save the discussion for later,” Ignis chided.

Claws dug into Noct’s arms, and he grunted through his teeth before angrily retaliating. A grunt from behind him was followed by the ground momentarily shaking.

“That was close,” Gladio said.

Meanwhile Erica was dodging the relentless swipes of a Neoshadow, and Prompto found himself in the same situation. Neither of them could find an opening, and the two eventually noticed they were side by side. Suddenly there was an opening from one of the Neoshadows, and Erica swung her Keyblade lowly while Prompto jumped over her to fire at the other.

“Hey! That was pretty good!” he said. Erica smiled at him in reply.

“We’re almost through!” Ignis said.

The group surrounded the last four Neoshadows, and as one they charged right for them. Ignis leapt up into the air with lance in hand and came down full force onto the Heartless. With the enemies on the ground, Noct then swung his sword down before Prompto came in with a giant gun. The force of the shot knocked him back, but Noct made sure to catch him.

Erica rolled away from a swipe before knocking a Neoshadow into the air. Gladio was quick to whack the creature before slamming his sword onto the last Neoshadow, making them both vanish into nothing.

“Whew!” Prompto breathed.

“Nice work,” Gladio said.

“You too,” Erica said. She glanced over to Noct and found her eyes landing on the scratch marks on his arms. Before she could heal him, however, he was already using a Potion.

“Here you are,” Ignis said.

Erica looked at the Potion he was offering her before gently taking it. “Thank you.”

“What were those things?“ Noct asked.

_Does answering his question count as disrupting the world order? It’s just a question, right?_ “They’re called Heartless.”

“Heartless?”

“They come from the darkness in people’s hearts . . . and they also take hearts, too.”

“Take . . . hearts?” Prompto asked.

“They turn people into Heartless when they do that.”

“That’s . . . brutal.”

There was a grim silence that followed, and Erica could sense them taking the information in.

“You said you’ve fought these things before,” Gladio pointed out. “How long have you been fighting them?”

“As long as I’ve had my Keyblade. So . . . a couple of years, really,” Erica answered.

“You must be very brave to have to fight fiends such as these,” Ignis said.

There was a faint trace of a smile from her. _That doesn’t mean I’m never scared. . . ._

Noct had to swallow at least part of his overwhelming concern. _She’s just a kid. . . ._

“I guess the Heartless and the daemons aren’t that different after all,” Prompto pointed out.

“I guess not,” Erica agreed solemnly. “I uh, I should probably get going.”

“Down that way?” Noct said.

“Yeah. There’s another Outpost close by, right?”

“No, but there is a town called Lestallum a few miles from here,” Ignis said.

“Oh. Then I guess I’m headed there.”

“We’re headed there, too,” Noct said. “Maybe we could give you a lift.”

“I’m okay walking.”

“Will you be able to make it before dark?” Prompto asked.

“I hope I do.”

The boys exchanged looks.

“I don’t doubt your skills, but I doubt you can fly to Lestallum,” Ignis stated.

_Well if I could form a Keyblade glider I could._ “No, I can’t.” Erica peered over at their car. “Would I fit?”

“I think we’ll be able to squeeze you in,” Gladio said. But still Erica looked unsure.

“Think of it as a favor,” Noct said.

“And y’know, just in case something else happens,” Prompto added.

Erica glanced from the car to the boys. No way she wanted to be out at night, but she also didn’t want to bother them. _Well I could always investigate some more at the town. And I’d have somewhere to stay. . . . Until I run out of munny. But if that happens I could always find a part-time job, right?_

“All right,” she finally said.

The group then began to pile into the car, and Ignis started the engine before driving off. Erica couldn’t help admiring the vehicle. Sure it was mostly one color, but she had to say, this was the best first impression of a car.

“This is a nice car,” Erica complimented.

“You have good taste,” Noct quipped.

“Uh thanks?” Erica settled a little into her seat. “Never been in a car before.”

“Really?” Prompto asked.

“Yeah. I’ve only ever seen them.”

Ignis glanced to Erica through the rear view mirror. _I’m sure it’s a common matter in these parts. However she’s never ceased to pique my curiosity since we’ve met._

For the rest of the ride the group made small talk. The occasional glances that Ignis and Gladio would give Erica went right over her head, usually because Prompto held her attention most of time.

“You remind me of a few friends of mine,” Erica had said to the blonde.

“I do?” he had asked.

“Yup. I think you guys might get along pretty well.”

Finally the group reached Lestallum, and they could feel the temperature change almost instantly. It was a lively town with people dotted around the area, several cars parked on the side of the road and in the small parking lot.

“Woah,” Erica breathed.

“Never been here before?” Noct asked.

Most of her attention was still on her surroundings. “I’ve been to a lot of places but I haven’t seen anything like this.”

Ignis’s eyes met Gladio’s through the rear view mirror.

“You travel a lot?” Noct asked.

“Yup,” Erica replied.

Ignis backed the car into a parking space, and the group exited the car.

“Thanks for taking me here.”

“You’re quite welcome, but I believe this is where we part ways. For now, at least.”

“Yeah. We might run into each other again,” Prompto added.

“Yeah. We might,” Erica said. “I hope things go well with what you’re doing.”

“You too,” Noct said. “And uh, here.” He handed her three purple bottles.

“What are these?”

“They’re Ethers. Y’know, since you use magic and all.”

“Oh. Thank you.” She put the Ethers with her Hi-Potions. “Be careful, guys.”

“And you as well,” Ignis said.

After giving them a kind smile, Erica went off to explore the town.

“Not sure if it’s possible for one kid to give me so many questions,” Gladio said, crossing his arms as he watched her.

“Yeah,” Prompto agreed. “Really got me wondering about her.”

“Best save the wondering for later,” Ignis said. “We should be on our way back to the Leville.”


	3. Against the Odds--Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erica's stay in Lestallum has helped her gather more information on the world and its darkness. But her stay is rudely interrupted by the Empire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeahhh sorry about the long wait. Kinda fell out of the mood to write for a crossover, let alone edit something that's been sitting there not fully edited. But here we are! This one's kinda long, though. (And you can probably guess what point of the game this is.)

Erica had some kind of idea as to how long she’d been in this world. She knew it was probably a tad longer than her usual mission time. Time did flow differently in each world, however. That made her wonder how long it’s been in Twilight Town. And in the worlds the rest of her friends were in. At least she had asked Chirithy to check up on Roxas and everyone in Twilight Town.

By now she had Lestallum mapped out pretty good in her mind. To avoid using up the munny she had, Erica had taken up a small part-time job taking orders in one of the small restaurants, so a decent amount of people were familiar with her. And they often asked why she didn’t work in the power plant instead.

Her favorite customers (although everyone was very nice) were Iris, Talcott, and Jared. Iris reminded Erica of Kairi at times, which sometimes made the young wielder miss her friends. But she had a job to do. And besides, she could always visit them after her mission here was over.

During Erica’s free time, she would investigate what she could about the darkness. She had deemed it unique to this world judging by the conversations she had overheard and her few experiences. The daemons didn’t just affect people; they also had an effect on the wildlife, which really gave Erica a start when she had first heard about this. She had also heard about someone called an oracle healing people.

“She must be an important light here,” Erica had told Chirithy.

“That’s right,” Chirithy had replied. “Just like someone else here.”

“Really? Is it . . . Prompto?”

Chirithy deflated a little. “He’s a cheery guy, but no.”

There was also the matter of blockades around Lestallum. Apparently the Empire had formulated them, and Erica had wanted to investigate why.

“I don’t think that’d be a good idea,” Chirithy had said. “We don’t know what this Empire is capable of. And whatever the reason may be for those blockades might have to do with the matters of this world. So we can’t interfere.”

It had taken a lot of convincing to steer Erica away from checking out the blockades, but nonetheless, she stayed put and kept within Lestallum.

Now, Erica was crossing the street back to the entrance of the town. She hadn’t seen Noct or the others for a while, so she hoped they were all right.

A sort of engine sounded off, and she turned to see two ships flying in. They lowered themselves down onto either side of the street as people watched in fear. Both of their doors opened slowly, and suddenly armored men equipped with guns filed out. Citizens drew back as each battalion was lead by a man in a more complex armor. And taking up the rear were flag bearers holding a white and red flag.

“We’ll be holding the fort here, I presume?” the first man asked.

“Make sure no citizen escapes your eye,” the second said. “We’ll find the prince.”

Erica furrowed her eyebrows. _Prince? Who’s the prince?_

The second battalion began to march into the town while the first man signaled the troops to spread out. Seizing her chance, Erica managed to slip away and hide.

Her heart was clenching. She was getting a bad feeling about this.

Erica watched the second battalion turn left. Stealing a look over her shoulder, she sneakily followed them, making sure to hide behind as many corners, poles, and pillars as possible.

People parted as if they were a terrible creature, and Erica’s heart clenched further.

Apparently these guys were looking for a prince. Maybe this prince was that other important light. It was reasonable in the sense that most special lights she’d met were royalty, with the exception of a few. The problem was that they were all female, so maybe it wasn’t an important light, but an important heart? It was plausible, but she’d have to wait and see.

The battalion eventually entered a sort of plaza with a giant fountain in the middle, and there were barely any people around.

_I know this area. But who—_

“I am Caligo Ulldor of the Imperial Empire. You are in affiliation with the Amicitia family, correct?”

Erica hid behind a pole and observed the scene. _Empire. . . . So_ he’s_ responsible for the blockades._

“What business do you have here?” an old man asked.

Wait. She knew that voice.

“You also have ties with the royal family, do you not?” Caligo pressed. “Then you must know the whereabouts of Prince Noctis. So, tell me where he is.”

Erica’s worry spiked. _Noctis? Does he mean Noct? Noct’s the prince?_

“We know nothing of where he is,” the old man retorted.

_Jared?_

Caligo took a few steps forward. “I’ll give you one last chance, old man. Where—is—Prince Noctis?”

“I told you before. We know _nothing_ of his location,” Jared stated.

Silence.

Too long of one.

“You must not value your life, then.” Caligo yanked his sword out of its sheath. “Then so be it.”

Erica revealed herself with fists clenched. “Hey!”

The battalion faced her as they parted for Caligo, who also turned his attention to her.

“Leave them alone!”

Caligo merely laughed, and Jared as well as Iris and Talcott peeked out from behind the group in surprise. “You’re only a child. And you have no right to speak against a commander of the Empire.”

Erica summoned Starlight. “I said, leave them alone!”

The troops aimed at her while Caligo analyzed her weapon.

“A citizen of Insomnia, no doubt,” he concluded. “Then you will die with the rest of your precious city. Fire!”

Erica casted Reflega around herself for as long as the bullets flew, and retaliating flares of light knocked the battalion and Caligo back. She coated her Keyblade in ice before throwing it right at the commander. He deflected the blade only to send it toward some of his men, who dropped unconscious afterwards.

And disappeared into black smoke.

Erica started. “What. . . ?”

Jared ushered a worried Iris and Talcott deeper into the Leville as Caligo furiously charged for Erica. Their blades clashed and clanged as Erica’s mind raced. Why did those men disappear like that? Had they been tainted by the darkness? Were they Nobodies? Or were they consumed by the Heartless?

“Perhaps _you_ know where the prince is!” Caligo seethed.

Erica blocked a downward blow. “I don’t know where he is!”

She shoved him back and casted Reflera. The bullets ricocheted off the crystal barrier, and flares of light blasted back anyone within range.

Caligo swung for Erica’s head only to slice off a lock of hair, making her squeak in surprise. Another swing cut across her cheek, and he brutally kicked her down to the ground. And all the trio inside could do was watch in desperate hope that Erica would survive.

“A child such as yourself has no power against me!” He stabbed down only to scratch concrete, and Erica kicked hard at his knee to bring him down. “Fire! Don’t just stand there!”

Erica dove behind a stone pillar as bullets flew, and she covered her head as sparks flew from the pillars, the sound of shattering pottery filling her ears. Eventually the firing ceased, but just before she was about to roll out, Caligo appeared and swung at her. She felt a breeze as she scrambled away, and she shot to her feet just in time to block quite a few attacks.

She could sense a bitter darkness in the commander, and it gave her all the more reason to protect Jared and the others.

Erica forced Caligo’s sword arm away and managed to slam her Keyblade into his side. Spinning around, she struck his other side and rolled out of the way of a retaliating swing. She casted Reflera over herself as the troops fired again, and from the corner of her eye, she caught Caligo taking cover behind a pillar.

The second the spell’s retaliation ended, he lunged for Erica. She blocked with a yelp before barely managing to block a few more hits. Metal bit into her arm, pulling a brief yell out of her. Exploiting her delay, Caligo swung his sword across her hand. The troops aimed, but bolts of lightning struck them down. Before she knew it his blade locked with hers, and her knees began to bend under his strength.

_Come on. You can do this!_

Holding her breath, she darted out from under Caligo’s sword and casted Blizzara at him. He surprisingly avoided the blast, and he quickly came lunging for her. She parried one attack from him only to gain another cut on her arm from a second swing. Hastily she dug up a Potion that Caligo’s sword swatted out of her hand, and he kicked her back.

The moment the remaining troops took their aim, Erica hastily casted Aerora. The wind tossed them around and into the walls, and Caligo seized his chance. Erica blocked a blow and darted to the side before slicing an unarmored spot on his arm.

Growling, he swung at her side only to have her block, and he pressed something in his ear. “Get me reinforcements sent to the Leville this instant!”

He pressed it again, and Caligo and Erica continued their gruesome duel. She slammed her Keyblade into his arm before jumping back from a counterattack. Their blades clashed against each other several times before Caligo easily disarmed Erica.

Starlight landed in the fountain with a splash, and she looked to the commander. She leaned away from his attacks that became closer and closer to making their mark. Her spark of magic was dim, but she could hold out for a bit longer before replenishing. She could try using magic without her Keyblade, but practicing wasn’t the best idea right now.

Taking in a breath, Erica timed his swings before rolling under one and running for the fountain with hand extended. Not even a few seconds passed before a flash of light from the fountain jumped to her hand, and she whirled around to block a downward swing with Starlight, both weapons locking.

“You’re persistent, I’ll give you that,” Caligo snapped. “But that will be your downfall.”

Erica began to gradually push him back. “I don’t think so!”

With a grunt she shoved him back a few steps and casted Blizzara right at his feet. The spell fixated him to the ground, and he angrily began to hack at the ice. Caligo swung at her as she darted to behind him, and she leapt up to slam the butt of her Keyblade onto his neck.

The commander froze. His sword slipped from his hands, and he began to drop. But Erica melted the ice before he even hit the ground.

“Erica!” Iris followed by Talcott ran toward the wielder, who dismissed her Keyblade and placed her hands on her knees. “Are you okay?”

Erica huffed as she used a Potion and an Ether, feeling her spark of magic regain itself. “I’ll be fine. What about you?”

“A little shaken up but . . . wow. I didn’t know you could do all of that.”

“You really saved us!” Talcott said.

“And you’re kinda crazy. I can’t believe you stood up to the Empire like that.”

“They were going to hurt you,” Erica said. “I had to do something.”

Boots coming toward them brought the group’s attention to the reinforcements swarming in. Pools of darkness grew in the air as spherical creatures with antennae appeared, and ant-like creatures emerged out of the ground.

“What are those things?” Iris asked.

Erica once again summoned Starlight. “They’re Heartless. I can handle them.”

“But what about you?”

“I’ll be okay. Don’t worry.”

Jared placed his hands on Iris and Talcott’s shoulders. “I’ll keep them safe. You just be careful.”

Erica nodded, and the trio retreated into the Leville.

The troops spotted the Heartless and fired at both them and Erica, who casted Reflera. The light flares forced the soldiers back and destroyed several Heartless, and Erica chucked her Keyblade at the soldiers, knocking some to the ground to wither away. She dove behind the fountain as bullets darted toward her, but a few managed to nick her arm. Her hands went over her ears as the troops kept firing, gradually closing in on her.

A few Darkballs appeared in front of her, and she risked springing to her feet to swiftly deal with them. Taking cover again, she threw a lightning-coated Starlight at the soldiers and managed to take out two more.

The sounds of the Heartless and the boots of the soldiers drew nearer, and Erica briefly squeezed her eyes shut. She scrambled up the fountain mere moments before a Shadow Heartless could swipe at her. Desperately she fired Thundara at the soldiers, and she managed to destroy some Heartless in the process.

Reflera encased her once again. The barrier flickered with every shot, and she willed the spell to lengthen. Little by little she felt her spark dim, and she found herself frantically scanning the surrounding enemies. Her body was beginning to protest, but she wasn’t quitting yet.

The Shadows climbed after her, and she glanced down to the ground below. Once the soldiers began to reload, Erica released Reflera and leapt off. The flares destroyed any Heartless that had been closing in on her, and she landed with a roll. The soldiers began to flank her on either side while firing at the Heartless, who still doggedly lumbered after her.

_They just keep coming. . . ._ “Fire!”

The element was hurled right at the feet of the soldiers in front of her and exploded upon contact. Blizzaga finished off whoever was still standing, and she whirled around to freeze the next group.

Only to feel a draining numbness inside where her spark used to be.

_Oh no._

Erica was slashed numerous times in the back by Shadows. A Darkball slammed into her until she was brought to her knees, and she frantically fished out a Hi-Potion. Pushing through, she swatted the last Shadows back before slicing at the last Darkballs.

Erica huffed as she assumed her stance as best as she could. Tired as she was, she faced the remaining soldiers firmly. Their weapons raised to aim, and with a loud grunt she threw her Keyblade as hard as she could, taking all of them out.

In a heap of exhaustion, Erica dropped to her knees with a pant. _That was too close. . . ._

“Erica behind you!” Iris warned.

Before she could react, Erica felt something sharp pierce through her side. The screams from inside were the only things she could hear as the sharp object was yanked out. A boot kicked her down, and she squinted up at Caligo looming over her with sword in hand.

“I could kill you and end this madness, but you’re better suited as an example to those who defy the Empire,” he sneered. Caligo walked off as best as he could, and the trio inside rushed out.

“Erica!” Iris shouted.

Erica stifled a whimper as she tried to fish out an Item. Three shadows hovered around her, and she curled inward. She was able to fish out a Hi-Potion, but the stinging pain was almost too much even with that.

She pressed her hands against her side, and she blinked away spots.

There was so much biting pain. . . .

All she wanted was for it to go away. . . .

And she was so tired. . . .

But at least they were safe. . . .

“Erica? Stay with me, okay?”

“Grandpa what should we do?”

“We need to get her inside now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fight scene was kinda hard for me to write since the right flow wasn't fully there. But I got some help from Misstoodles on Tumblr so there's that. I hope I got Caligo's character right. And Iris, Talcott, and Jared's.  
Also, this had been written way before Re:Mind. As well as everything else that will be posted unless I say otherwise.


	4. Against the Odds--Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis and his entourage return to Lestallum, and what they find out isn't exactly what they were expecting.

It had been a long several days, and the group of four just wanted a moment’s peace. After Noctis had acquired Titan’s and Ramuh’s powers and reclaimed the car, they needed some time to breathe before continuing on.

Ignis backed into a parking space before turning off the engine, and the boys exited the car. Everything appeared as if nothing had happened, but the people did seem slightly shaken—something Ignis and Gladio took note of.

Prompto wasn’t liking how there were small and tightly knit groups of people dotted around the area. Several people even looked up to the skies quite a few times.

“. . . Wonder if Erica’s still around here,” he said.

“Could be,” Noctis replied, also noticing the citizens’ demeanors.

The group continued through the nervous town in silence until they reached the Leville. And inside was someone they didn’t expect to still be there.

“Oh, Gladdy,” Iris whimpered.

“What’s wrong?” Gladio asked.

“I never made it to Caem. The Empire came while you were gone. . . .”

The group was now seated inside a room, and Iris was explaining what had happened.

“None of us said a word about Noct. They just showed up and then . . . she came.”

“She?” Gladio asked.

“Erica. She works at one of the restaurants here sometimes.”

The four young men all suddenly held the same sinking feeling.

“She was the one who fought them off to . . . to protect us. Then she got hurt and . . . she was out for a couple days. We almost thought she wouldn’t make it. But . . . she’s all right now, thankfully.”

Noctis looked to Gladio, and the prince could feel Ignis and Prompto’s eyes on him.

Iris deciphered their expressions. “Do you know her?”

“. . . Yeah. We do.”

“Where is she now?” Gladio asked.

“She’s with Talcott and Jared in the other room,” Iris said. “This way.”

The boys followed her to a room directly across the hall, and she knocked quietly.

“It’s Iris. Noct and the others are here, too.”

“Come in,” Jared said.

The door was opened slowly, and the room inside had its balcony doors shut. Talcott sat in the chair closest to the occupied bed, while Jared stood by it. And lying propped up on the bed was Erica.

“Prince Noctis,” Jared said, to which the prince replied with a brief nod.

Erica’s face lit up at the sight of them. “You’re back.”

“Yeah. Just now,” Noctis said.

“How you doing?” Gladio asked.

“I’m a little tired, but, I’m all right,” Erica said.

Jared sighed. “That commander Caligo was relentless.”

“. . . Erica was really brave,” Talcott said quietly.

“Yeah,” Iris agreed. “But she really worried us, too, fighting all those Imperials on her own. . . .”

Erica’s eyes briefly went downcast. “I’m really sorry for worrying you guys.”

“Don’t worry about it. At least you’re okay now.”

Noctis glanced down for a moment. “Could you . . . give us a minute?”

“Of course,” Jared replied.

Iris exited the room followed by Jared and Talcott. Once the door was closed, Noctis let a small frown through.

“I . . . can’t believe you really did that,” Prompto said quietly.

“A feat it was taking on the Empire, but a dangerous one at that,” Ignis said.

“You stood up for Iris and the others. I’m grateful for that,” Gladio said. “But you didn’t have to almost get yourself killed in the process.”

A quiet but weary sigh came out of Erica. “I know, but I had to do something.”

The prince lowered his head a bit before looking back at her. “At least you’re still in one piece. Just . . . don’t do anything like that again.”

“I’ll try my best.”

“Good.”

A silence settled in the room, and she noticed the worn look in everyone’s eyes. Especially in Noctis.

“So um, how are you guys?” Erica asked.

“We’re . . . doin’ okay, heh,” Prompto said. “Just tired.”

“Where did you guys go?”

“Had to pick up a few things,” Gladio replied.

“Oh. Okay.”

“Seems as though you’ve been quite busy as well,” Ignis said. “Iris mentioned you’ve taken up a job at one of the restaurants.”

“Oh right. It’s uh, part-time, though.”

“Noct worked at a restaurant one time,” Prompto commented. “I think it was a sushi place.”

“Really?”

“Didn’t really last very long,” Noctis commented, getting a brief laugh from Erica.

_Poof!_

“Prince Noctis?”

Noctis made a startled noise.

“What is it?” Ignis asked.

“Th-there’s some sort of cat thing there.”

“Wait, you can see Chirithy?” Erica asked.

“What now?” Gladio said.

“I don’t see anything,” Prompto said.

“It’s right _there._” Noctis pointed to the foot of Erica’s bed.

“Only a handful of people can see me if I allow them to. And it looks like you’re one of them,” Chirithy replied.

“I . . . w-what?”

“You goin’ crazy or something?” Gladio asked.

“I swear I’m not. She sees it, too.”

“You guys can’t?” Erica asked.

“Nope,” Prompto answered.

“Afraid not,” Ignis said.

“Aren’t you going to tell them what I said?” Chirithy asked.

“Oh! Right. Uh Chirithy said only a handful of people can see them if they allow them to,” Erica said.

“You don’t say?” Gladio said, crossing his arms.

“I’m also like a guiding spirit,” Chirithy said.

Noctis started._ Like that little fox. . . ._

“Is it a Messenger?” Ignis asked.

“Nope. Just a guide,” Chirithy said.

“It said it’s not a Messenger,” Noctis said. “Just a guide.”

“Wait. Messenger?” Erica asked.

“They aid the Oracle in conveying the gods’ will to mankind,” Ignis explained.

“Oracle. . . .” _Oh right. That person that heals people._

Prompto studied the foot of Erica’s bed. “So this . . . Crithy—"

“Chirithy,” Erica gently corrected.

“Uh right. It looks like a cat?”

“A really weird cat with a cape,” Noctis answered. “And a pouch or something.”

“Sounds kinda cute!”

Chirithy sighed, and their eyes fell onto Noctis. “Have you run into any Heartless lately?”

“Just a few groups here and there,” Noctis replied. “And we made sure to be careful.”

“That’s good,” Erica said, and she looked to the others. “Oh uh, Chirithy just asked about the Heartless.”

“Relentless fiends, they are,” Ignis commented.

“They seemed pretty interested in Noct, though,” Gladio said, causing Erica to frown. “Couldn’t keep them away from him for more than a few seconds.”

Chirithy focused as they began to sense the darkness in the world. They also managed to sense one of its important lights. Something was brewing and had been brewing, and they were starting to believe the rule of keeping the world order was going to have to be broken for this world.

Erica glanced to her best friend. “What’s wrong?”

“Prince Noctis,” Chirithy said. “Once you have the chance, I think there are some things you and your friends should know.”

“Kn-know?” he repeated.

“About us and the darkness of this world.”

Noctis glanced to Erica, who was looking to Chirithy in disbelief.

“Uh you guys okay?” Prompto asked.

“What? Y-yeah we’re fine,” Noctis said.

“Really fine,” Erica added, her eyes briefly darting to Noctis.

His friends, however, exchanged suspicious looks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to spill some beans! This should be fun. :)


	5. Uncovered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the boys are told some interesting but strange information and Erica offers to help them in their journey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes places directly after the previous chapter.

Some time later in the day, Erica had checked her injury and casted a quick cure spell, as she had done a few times before. She was still a little sore, but she felt fine more or less—in her opinion, that is. Nonetheless, she was sent right back to her room every time she reached the hallway.

“I’m fine. Really,” Erica had tried to assure once.

“Nope. You’re staying right there,” Iris had told her as she led Erica back to the room. “Even if you do have magic.”

So back to bed she had gone no matter what she said. But if she was being honest, she had been running around from here to there for quite some time—from investigating the world’s darkness to keeping an eye out for Heartless to her part-time job. And fighting off those soldiers and Heartless as well as that commander. So maybe she should relax for a bit.

Of course, she wasn’t left alone. She had Chirithy, and she was often checked up on by the others. Usually Iris would do so, and their conversations sometimes went on for a few hours.

“You have to show me how to fight like that,” Iris had said.

“I’ll try my best,” Erica had replied. “I think you might be good at it.”

“You really think so?”

“Yup!”

Sometimes Talcott or Prompto would come by, the former being very curious about her magic. And Ignis would even pop in a few times.

“Um, so . . . you’re a prince?” Erica asked Noctis once.

“Where’d you hear that?” he replied.

“That Caligo guy said he was looking for a Prince Noctis. So I was thinking Noct was short for Noctis.”

Noctis sighed. “Guess there’s no point in hiding it.”

“You’re undercover?”

“Something like that.”

“What about Ignis, Prompto, and Gladio?”

“They’re . . . sort of undercover in a way.” Noctis wrapped his hand around his knuckles, briefly recalling everything that had happened to them so far. “They’ve . . . been through a lot with me.”

“You guys must be really close, huh?”

A small smile made its way through. “Yeah. I guess we are.”

Erica smiled. “That’s good to know.” She paused for a bit. “Can I still call you Noct?”

“Sure. And . . . you don’t have to treat me any different. I know Prompto sure doesn’t.” That earned him a small laugh from Erica.

Now, night had fallen in Lestallum. Noctis and his friends were with Erica and Chirithy in her room awaiting the information the duo had alluded to.

“All right. You said you had some things about yourself and this ‘darkness,’ ” Gladio said. “What kind of information are we talking about here?”

Erica glanced to Chirithy, who nodded. “Well, I uh, I’m not really sure how to put this, but um . . . I’m not really from here.”

“We figured as much,” Noctis said.

“And your weapon serves as a testimony to that,” Ignis added. “But I doubt you’re from the Crown City.”

“Um . . . not really?” Erica replied. “I’m uh, from another world.”

“Wait what?” Prompto said.

“ ‘Another world’?” Noctis repeated.

“I know it’s kinda confusing, but it’s true,” Erica said.

He paused. “Wait. So you’re telling us that there’s more outside of Eos?”

“There are as many worlds as there as stars in the sky,” Chirithy said.

“That’s . . . insane.”

“What? What did it say?” Prompto pressed.

“It said there are as many worlds as there as stars in the sky.”

“Extraordinary,” Ignis said in disbelief. “To think that Eos was a part of something much grander. . . .”

Gladio crossed his arms. Erica had given them nothing but questions since they’d met, yet the kid seemed honest enough. And she had helped them out a few times. But. . . . “Don’t think I’m completely sold on this whole ‘other world’ thing, but I guess it explains how a kid like you can use magic outside of the Crown City. And like Iggy said, that weapon of yours is a testimony to that.”

“So, why did you come here?” Noctis asked.

“I was the one who told her to,” Chirithy said. “Keyblade wielders and masters are charged with a duty to protect the worlds from darkness. So I told Erica to investigate the darkness in this world.”

The prince took a moment to let the information sink in. “. . . It said it was the one who told her to come and investigate the darkness here, that Keyblade wielders have a duty to protect the worlds from darkness.”

“That’s one tough duty to uphold with how many worlds there are,” Gladio said.

“Surely it must be impossible to safeguard every one,” Ignis said.

“It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it,” Chirithy said. 

“It said it’s a tough job and . . . someone has to do it,” Noctis repeated. “I can only imagine.”

“Betcha not every world has daemons like ours, huh?” Prompto asked.

“Usually the darkness in the worlds is the Heartless,” Chirithy explained. “But this world seems to have a unique darkness to it that isn’t the Heartless.”

Noctis sighed. “Lucky us.”

“Translation?” Gladio asked.

“The only darkness I’ve ever know about in the worlds is the Heartless,” Erica said. “But this one is . . . different. It’s almost more sinister.”

“Yet it appears the Heartless will still spawn regardless,” Ignis pointed out. “Seems as though they won’t be bothered by the daemons.”

“I guess not. . . .”

The room settled into a silence.

“So, what about the darkness here?” Noctis asked. “You said you had something on it.”

“The darkness here is spreading, and there’s a point of concentration that I can’t quite figure out,” Chirithy said, and Erica relayed the information.

“A point of origin?” Ignis suggested.

“Something like that,” Chirithy said. “I do know that it’s more dangerous than we all know.”

“Kind of,” Erica said. “Chirithy says it’s more dangerous than we all know.”

“Which reminds me—who is the oracle in this world?”

“Oracle?” Noctis asked. “That’s Luna.”

“She’s an important light to this world, and I sense that she’s in danger.”

“W-what?!”

“What did it say?” Gladio asked.

“It said that Luna’s in danger.”

“In danger?” Ignis repeated. “How does it know?”

“Chirithy’s able to sense a world’s important light,” Erica explained. “Like in people.”

“And it thinks Lady Lunafreya’s in trouble?” Prompto asked, and Erica nodded.

“What can we do?” Noctis asked.

“First of all we need to get to her,” Gladio pointed out. “Then we can worry about how to help.”

“Then we best make haste for Altissia,” Ignis said.

“I have some friends that can help out,” Erica said. “We could meet up with you guys there.” 

The boys exchanged looks.

“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Gladio asked. “We don’t need a repeat of what happened.”

“I’m sure. I’ll be careful,” Erica assured.

“Noct, the decision is up to you,” Ignis said.

The prince looked to Erica, who held a brave determination in her eyes as she nodded.

“You can count on us!” Chirithy said. “This is what wielders do, after all.”

If Lunafreya really was in danger, then he wanted as much help as he could get, even if it was from a kid about Iris’s age.

“All right. We’ll head out tomorrow,” Noctis decided.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had some help from Misstoodles with this one, too.  
But guess who's going to Altissia?! That is a VERY long segment and was pretty challenging for me to write. I have no idea when it will be posted but it'll be a while. I MAY post some snippets over on my Tumblr but I dunno. I want it to be under wraps for as long as possible. Unless I crack.  
Anyway, let's hope things go well. :)


End file.
